Yuri Kobzar09:16, 03.02.23

Berlin is sure that Ukraine’s desire to join NATO was only a formal pretext for the Kremlin.

The seizure of Ukrainian territories was conceived by Vladimir Putin for a long time. The “threat” of NATO expansion to the east was only a pretext for the Kremlin. This was stated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a meeting with residents of the city of Marburg, writes DW .

According to the head of the German government, the Kremlin used the partnership between Kyiv and Brussels as “a pretext for a long-planned plan for the military expansion of Russia’s territory.”

Scholz stressed that NATO is a defensive alliance, so the potential entry of Ukraine into the alliance could not threaten Russia.

“There is no need to pretend that the words ‘NATO eastward expansion’ are some sort of argument,” the Chancellor said.

At the same time, Scholz was quick to reassure the Germans that Germany would not allow an escalation that would lead to the expansion of the war to the entire continent.

“A war between NATO and Russia would be a terrible event. We have a responsibility to ensure that such an escalation does not occur,” Scholz said.

The war in Ukraine is the position of Germany

Since 2014, Angela Merkel’s government has repeatedly denied arms supplies to Ukraine and blocked such supplies by other European countries. 

With the beginning of the full-scale stage of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the position of the German government gradually began to change. Germany gradually began to supply Ukraine, first with light small arms, and then with heavy weapons. Often such deliveries had to be “knocked out” from Berlin by the efforts of the entire EU .

In January 2023, Germany crossed an important psychological milestone – it announced the supply of German tanks to Ukraine and allowed such supplies to other countries.

(C)UNIAN 2023